Agent in court

A top real estate agent stripped of his licence last year is blaming attentiondeficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and stomach stapling surgery for his litany of offending. West Aucklandbased Aaron Drever was once a highflying seller, earning more than $1 million a year in commission. But he is now making a last-ditch attempt to save the only career he has known since he was 18. Between 2010 and 2014 Drever, 33, drew 11 separate formal complaints to the Real Estate Agents Authority and was subject to nine separate disciplinary findings — a record that still stands nationwide. He was stripped of his licence in November after being found guilty of his second misconduct offence. Yesterday he appealed the cancellation to the High Court at Auckland, with his lawyer Guyon Foley arguing the penalty was “excessive and inappropriate”. Foley told Justice Anne Hinton his client’s track record “isn’t a terrible history your honour in criminal terms”, but admitted it was “not good”. Foley said important mitigating information about Drever’s mental state and personal circumstances wasn’t put before the Real Estate Agents Disciplinary Tribunal when it considered the fate of Drever’s licence. This included the real estate agent suffering from depression and anxiety, and problems concentrating due to ADHD. Foley said Drever had undergone stomach stapling surgery in 2009, shedding a large amount of weight afterthe procedure, causing physical and mental difficulties.